Deadline reports that the Tim Burton-directed, Johnny Depp-starring (of course) big-screen version of Dark Shadows is finally moving forward, with an eye on production starting in January. Their adaptation of the supernatural soap opera feels like it’s been in the making since the show went off the air in 1971, with Depp frequently mentioning in interviews over the years that one of his dreams is to play central vampire figure Barnabas Collins. After several false starts, it appears as though he’ll finally get the chance now that Warner Bros. has hired Seth Grahame-Smith—the author responsible for those monster mash-up novels Pride And Prejudice And Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter—to draft a screenplay. It’s quite a coup for Grahame-Smith as well, whose books have recently been optioned for feature film adaptations, including a rumored version of Pride And Prejudice with David O. Russell directing and Natalie Portman starring.